At the July meeting of the Board of Directors of the Brown County Water Improvement District #1, approval was given to a new budget for the 2022/23 Fiscal Year.  The total budget will be $4,007,514, an increase of 21.29% over the 2021/22 budget of $3,304,150.

Almost all of the increase is in the operation of the water treatment plant, which has been hit with cost increases in fuel, electricity, and especially treatment chemicals.  The budget for chemicals in this year’s budget was $300,000, but the District has already spent $450,000 on chemicals, with two months to go in this year’s budget.  Next year’s budget calls for spending $700,000 on chemicals.

As a result, the new budget includes a wholesale treated water rate of $2.0637 per thousand gallons, an increase of 19.919%.  This is the rate that is charged to the various cities and water supply entities that purchase treated water from the District.  The new wholesale rate takes effect on September 1.  The cities and water supply entities will set their own retail water rates in their new budgets, many of which begin on October 1.

In addition, the District is experiencing higher costs because of zebra mussels.  The new budget includes $150,000 for chemicals to combat the zebra mussels in District pipelines.  Also, the District is still awaiting a design proposal from the engineering firm of Freese and Nichols for infrastructure to keep zebra mussels out of District pumps and other equipment.  The infrastructure is expected to cost something more than $1,000,000.

District General Manager John Allen reported that “zebra mussels are everywhere” in Lake Brownwood.  Ironically, with all the problems zebra mussels cause, one benefit they provide is in clearing up the water.  Allen said you can easily see four to six feet deep in Lake Brownwood now.

The incoming water to the treatment plant is measured for “turbidity,” an index of how clear the water is.  Normally, incoming water has had a turbidity of about 6.0.  Now, that number is 0.7.  According to the City of Brownwood water report, released last week, the turbidity of our water after treatment is 0.133.

In other business:

*** Allen reported resolution to space 31 on McCartney Island.  The District had taken back possession of the lease, due to arrears in lease payments, and the dock, due to arrears in taxes.  Repairs were made to the dock, and a customer was found to purchase the dock and take over the lease.  Back taxes on the dock were paid.

*** Lake Patrol Chief Mark Davis reported a busy, but safe, Fourth of July holiday weekend at Lake Brownwood.  The Lake Patrol counted 855 boats and 3,874 visitors to the lake that weekend.  Extra law enforcement personnel were hired for the holiday, and order was maintained, with only two citations being issued.

*** Allen reported that Lake Brownwood is currently at level 1420.19, or 4.9 feet below full.  That is 76.4% of lake capacity.  This time last year the lake was at 100% capacity.  Even so, the 76% capacity represents a four-year supply of water.  If the lake drops 1/10th foot more to 5.0 feet below full, that will trigger a drought voluntary water conservation program.  A drop of three more feet to level 1417 would trigger mandatory restrictions on water use, but Allen does not expect the lake to go that low.